When Henry Segerstrom was growing up in the Twenties in Orange County, Calif., he was surrounded by acres of his family’s lima-bean fields. But he had a vision the land could be used for something even more productive, and, in the Sixties, he converted some of that land to a mall. Over the years, that seed of an idea has grown into one of the country’s most productive shopping centers, South Coast Plaza.

On Monday, Segerstrom was awarded the Medal of Excellence by Carnegie Hall for his business acumen as well as his support of the arts. Segerstrom is also founding chairman of the Orange County Performing Arts Center and the Segerstrom Center for the Arts. The event raised $1.5 million for Carnegie Hall’s artistic and education programs.

Terry Lundgren, Macy’s Inc. chairman, president and chief executive officer and a long-time friend of Segerstrom’s, presented him with the award at a black-tie gala at the Waldorf-Astoria in Manhattan that also included a performance by mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves. Lundgren said that growing up in Orange County, he remembered when the lima-bean fields were transformed into the mall and once he started in the retail business, one of his first jobs was as store manager of the Bullock’s in South Coast Plaza.

On his first day on the job, Segerstrom stopped in to say hello and Lundgren proudly told him that the store was the second most productive in the Bullock’s chain. Segerstrom responded: “How long do you think it will take to get to number one?” It took a year, Lundgren related.

Bringing the whole evening full circle, Segerstrom’s wife Elizabeth, in a floor-length Oscar de la Renta gown, helped create the centerpieces with the family’s lima beans that were flown in specially for the evening. Guests received burlap sacks of beans, complete with a Segerstrom family recipe attached.

Today we honor an icon, Karl Lagerfeld. Read WWD’s tribute to the late designer, whose prolific career has influenced fashion and culture overall for the last 60 years. Link in bio.
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Karl Lagerfeld has died in Paris.
The designer, one of the most prolific, admired and multi-talented fashion figures of the modern age, worked tirelessly until the end, giving instructions to his teams for the Fendi fall ready-to-wear collection, due to take place in Milan on Thursday.
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“For me, it’s an ode to England,” said Matty Bovan speaking of his fall collection. The designer, who is based outside York, touted his use of local wool, his work with artisans, and collaborations with the likes of Liberty, Stephen Jones on hats and Katie Hillier on key rings, scrunchies and bows.
And what a tribute it was — a wild-eyed, big-hearted hug for a country that’s feeling a little battered ahead of its exit from the European Union.
Report: Samantha Conti 📸: @kukukuba
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